D-day!

[MrBadger]

Good news that battery fluid now removed as a maintenance item. Hope though that it is not like some manufacturers stretching the annual oil changes that later are found to have caused issues. I was shocked to find that in the 3 years that I have owned my current car, it only had one oil change. So its back under the care of my local mechanic who I don't think will be touching a Tesla until he can get his hands on the service manuals at reasonable price.

 

[Peteski]

Good news that battery fluid now removed as a maintenance item. Hope though that it is not like some manufacturers stretching the annual oil changes that later are found to have caused issues. I was shocked to find that in the 3 years that I have owned my current car, it only had one oil change. So its back under the care of my local mechanic who I don't think will be touching a Tesla until he can get his hands on the service manuals at reasonable price.

Many Model S/X owners who were not tied to the very generous PCP residuals (requiring servicing carried out to the letter) were skipping the 12.5k intervals with no obvious issues and surprisingly it was never a warranty requirement to have the car serviced. Servicing was really just a walk around checklist anyway. There is nothing much to actually do!

 

[Roy W.]

Don't we've just been quoted £550 for a service with MB, feeling sick about it. Really might just have to press order and not get the service.

Well that’s £550 towards your deposit

 

[MrBadger]

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to preempt problems by servicing (not expensive, averages maybe £100/year or so) rather than letting things fail then replacing. But I guess for those who replace their cars every few years, they don't care as its not going to be their problem.

Battery fluid was always one that surprised me as it is I think a sealed system and largely no moving parts (a pump?), so good that that has gone. It was great when my mechanic said he could change our DSG oil - hugely expensive thing that was, but then critical to operation of the gearbox. Long gone are to days of rebuilding cars in our own garage - always some specialised tool or technique needed.

Would like to know though what Tesla think is the lifetime of their vehicles - all well and good the mechanicals, but electronics (some nice fat juicy capacitors in the inverter that I pray are long life) and connected services are critical to things these days.

 

[Fullerene]

If your wife finds an M3 outside the house, smelling salts

should help bring the wife round

 

[Roy W.]

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to preempt problems by servicing (not expensive, averages maybe £100/year or so) rather than letting things fail then replacing. But I guess for those who replace their cars every few years, they don't care as its not going to be their problem.

Battery fluid was always one that surprised me as it is I think a sealed system and largely no moving parts (a pump?), so good that that has gone. It was great when my mechanic said he could change our DSG oil - hugely expensive thing that was, but then critical to operation of the gearbox. Long gone are to days of rebuilding cars in our own garage - always some specialised tool or technique needed.

Would like to know though what Tesla think is the lifetime of their vehicles - all well and good the mechanicals, but electronics (some nice fat juicy capacitors in the inverter that I pray are long life) and connected services are critical to things these days.

Well I read some quotes from Elon on Electrek a few weeks/months ago (isn’t old age cruel? ) where he was saying the M3 is designed for a life of 1 million miles, and the current battery pack about 300k. Within two or three years he expects to achieve a 1 million mile battery pack. Convert that from Elon time and we should be ok by the time ICE is phased out in 2040

 

[Rooster6655]

Within two or three years he expects to achieve a 1 million mile battery pack.

At his investor video I am sure he mentioned hopefully next year the battery pack will do 1 million miles but I doubt it will be guaranteed if it is correct

 

[MrBadger]

Well I read some quotes from Elon on Electrek a few weeks/months ago (isn’t old age cruel? ) where he was saying the M3 is designed for a life of 1 million miles, and the current battery pack about 300k. Within two or three years he expects to achieve a 1 million mile battery pack. Convert that from Elon time and we should be ok by the time ICE is phased out in 2040

Unfortunately, time is often more critical to a vehicles life than mileage. In this connected world and with many parts locked to a specific car, I have yet to see anything to make me confident that new cars, I'm not just talking Tesla here, will be on the roads for anything like the sort of timeframes that we have seen from past models.

 

[Roy W.]

Unfortunately, time is often more critical to a vehicles life than mileage. In this connected world and with many parts locked to a specific car, I have yet to see anything to make me confident that new cars, I'm not just talking Tesla here, will be on the roads for anything like the sort of timeframes that we have seen from past models.

Can’t find it on Electrek, but this is a report on the same comments:

New Tesla Battery Will Last 1 Million Miles, Going Into Production Next Year

 

[pgkevet]

I think the 1 mill miles is all part of the Elon self-belief (delusion?) that M3's will be robotaxis and knock up that mileage in just a few years. In the case of the Semi he has to design packs to go 1 mil miles 'cos that's how trucks are built. A robotaxis could easily break 100K/yr

 

[Mr Miserable]

I sold my Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT earlier this year -it required an oil change every 6000 miles.
Having said that it also only did 17mpg!

The M3 maintenance and running costs? Not an issue.

 

[Fullerene]

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to preempt problems by servicing (not expensive, averages maybe £100/year or so) rather than letting things fail then replacing.

"You're Old Fashioned!" I don't agree - they should just run. Admittedly on the Dawn of the millennium I looked like a total berk wearing my tinfoil hat, but this time really is the future! Annual MOT after 3 years and the diagnostics on the car can book me in, ideally it should drive itself to the SC whilst I am working. It should be simple for a MEMS accelerometer, they're cheaper than chips, to detect unusual vibrations that could indicate a mechanical failure. An algorithm to look at your driving style and where you drive could easily guess what state your car is in, they already know how costly you are to insure and people love the black boxes.. https://www.confused.com/car-insurance/black-box if you ignore all the complaints, however, https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/files/2857/issue_128.pdf Page 18, Somebody managed to get the Financial Ombudsman to overrule the blackbox and the other party.

Remember when people used to have signs on the back of the car saying "please pass! - running in" ?

These days it's a small sign saying - "please pass! calibrating, no AP/FSD for the first 30 miles"

Unfortunately, time is often more critical to a vehicles life than mileage. In this connected world and with many parts locked to a specific car

I hope the lack of switch gear on the M3 is things heading the right way, the model Y sounds even more savings of stuff, like the 12V Battery. Remember when phone had buttons on? Look at phones pre and post Mr Ive's effort on the iPhone, I haven't been in a modern car recently, I believe dashes are less cluttered.

Software is the bigger problem if Tesla fails, the tech is in the software - I have phones that are not very old and no longer secure, I can't use them. I am not sure if there is Escrow to hold software if things go belly up - I do this with Technology & Software Escrow | Iron Mountain As consumers we don't stand a chance of asking the Service Center to escrow the software and validate that it can be compiled outside of Tesla.

However, I believe somebody did "take" a backup...

Former Tesla employee admits uploading Autopilot source code to his iCloud

BUT, Worst case if Tesla fail - remove the tesla computer, replace with an open source alternative, somebody will. Its not an ICE, there's not a lot else in there:

In this case I might be kicking myself for adding FSD... although if the throttle and brakes work.. AND the aircon - it will be doing better than my current car

 

[Mr Miserable]

That video - oh dear, I feel queasy.

 

[Rooster6655]

BUT, Worst case if Tesla fail - remove the tesla computer, replace with an open source alternative, somebody will. Its not an ICE, there's not a lot else in there:

Fair point there are already people using the motors in other cars so the possibility is there.

With time the Model 3 will get more and more reliable and servicing the Model 3 excluding the wheels/brakes will be like servicing an iPhone not necessary unless something breaks down.

 

[Fullerene]

servicing the Model 3 excluding the wheels/brakes will be like servicing an iPhone not necessary unless something breaks down

Wheels - Man i love MEMS 3 axis Accelometers, did you tap your wheel on the kerb? the inbalance can be picked up by MEMS, if it's out of acceptable tolerance the car tells you.


Tyres - yes EVs have higher tyre wear, they are the one thing that need a trip to a garage. And the only source of emissions, apart from pointless brake pads, see below.

(Would love to know from US car owners - it is true tyres(tires) are rated by wear miles so if they don't last the distance you can get a refund??)

Brakes - the regen does a lot of the braking, the battery and motor torque could easily put in a holding force to stop the wheels rotating. I think if Elon could persuade regulators and the public that you don't really need the discs, pads, callipers they wouldn't be there. They will go eventually It's a bit like hybrids having ICEs, they don't really need them any more, just swap the block for more kWh..

I believe large coaches have some alternators on the drive train to dump power into resistor banks whilst touring the Alps rather than suffering mechanical wear, a bit like regen but without the re bit. I seem to remember Robert Llewelyn saying that his Leaf had brake issues because they barely got used.

Occam's razor - Wikipedia

Keep It Simple...

 

[MrBadger]

I believe large coaches have some alternators on the drive train to dump power into resistor banks whilst touring the Alps rather than suffering mechanical wear, a bit like regen but without the re bit. I seem to remember Robert Llewelyn saying that his Leaf had brake issues because they barely got used.

Telma electric retarders iirc - been on coaches for donkeys years - magnetic retardation to avoid using the brakes.

yep, link here Operating principle - Retarders - Telma S.A.

you sometimes/use to see the sign on the back of the coach

 

[curmudgeon]

Congrats!

What % was the car charged to on collection?

Only about 50%

 

[Daverh]

View attachment 438873

Picked mine up. Very slick process

What a day.

View attachment 439031


View attachment 439032

@BogBeast Does your front plate have a holder or is it held on with tape?
@curmudgeon yours has a holder but again is it screwed in?

I'm hoping to fit a vinyl plate to the front and not sure whether to ask the SC in advance not to screw into the front bumper.

 

[Shmern]

@BogBeast Does your front plate have a holder or is it held on with tape?
@curmudgeon yours has a holder but again is it screwed in?

I'm hoping to fit a vinyl plate to the front and not sure whether to ask the SC in advance not to screw into the front bumper.

on a friends model 3 the front plate holder is screwed on leaving 2 small holes in the bumper

 

[FEERSUMENDJIN]

Some weeks before taking delivery of my M3 I reminded Tesla that my car will be registered in Northern Ireland and I may need NI plates. Tesla told me that I would get GB plates because Heathrow only do GB plates.

I got my GB plate number for insurance the day prior to delivery so could do insurance.

On the moring of delivery I got a text from Tesla, that I only read after taking delivery but before leaving Heatrow SC, that Tesla had just realised that my address is in Northern Ireland (duh!) and so they had made a mistake in giving me a GB plate. They then asked if I had a GB address to register the car. This would of course create an insurance nightmare, having the registered address different to where the car is kept. I told Tesla the car must be registered in NI and so they then re-registered it and replaced the plates, hence the two sets of number plates and the delay at the delivery.

There is nowhere on the account details address to specify the registered address as Norhern Ireland, just county and UK. I'm not in Belfast so Tesla just assumed my address was in UK despite me telling them it is Northern Ireland.

I'm actually really glad that someone, at the last minute, relaised the error and reissued the plates while I was at the SC.

From my experience I would conclude that Tesla must issue an NI plate if the registered address is in NI.

If Edinburgh is your SC then this will probably be done automatically, if you colect elsewhere then send the SC an email reminding them that the address is in NI and you must have NI plates.

I have a private plate and I was wondering if they might facilitate the transfer online at delivery. They refuse to register with the private plates. Probably will have to wait for postal dlelivery of my named V5 before making the change.